Chapter 714: A Clue at Last

July has arrived, and the expedition has been in the Qiemi Mountains for nearly two months.

Six fruitless searches and the summer heat have left everyone irritable.

Henwell's disloyal subordinates now glare at everyone they see, but have no choice except to keep their tempers bottled up.

They tried provoking trouble several times, only to be surrounded and beaten by Solomon's elite guards.

Then the five Battle Knights beside the Lady of Calamity grabbed them by the hair and gave them another vicious thrashing.

That taught them neither group was one they could afford to provoke.

Solomon's two Grand Knights, in particular, have terrified them senseless.

The muddleheaded turncoats decide to challenge their employer, Henwell, instead.

As expected, Miller corners them and administers another beating.

Miller is strong, but fighting three Battle Knights at once is still a difficult task.

But Miller has one overwhelming advantage: he can simply pay to win.

When Miller joined him, Henwell prepared a set of standardized extraordinary equipment for the young man from Peace Haven.

He took it from the shipment intended for Solomon and promised to replace the set later.

Miller was an outstanding graduate of Peace Haven Military Academy and served for two years in the Third Legion.

If not for what happened to his sister's family, he would have become a mid-ranking or senior officer in Peace Haven long ago.

Years of hard training, along with private instruction from Henwell, have made him a veteran Battle Knight.

Miller has mastered a wide range of martial and combat techniques, received systematic training, and accumulated extensive combat experience.

Now that he is wearing his full purple armor set, he naturally hammers the three self-taught fighters into the ground.

Philir and the others aren't the only ones losing patience. Their attitude reflects a wider problem with the exploration team's morale.

They have made a few discoveries over the past two months, but they still have not found the ruins' actual entrance.

After a heated debate, the archaeologists conclude that the entrance lies near Hill No. 4 in the northern Qiemi Mountains.

The expedition rests in Sweetwater Town for several days, gathers a large quantity of supplies, and returns to search the Qiemi Mountains again.

After several searches, they establish a semi-permanent camp at the foot of the northern mountains.

They no longer need to sleep in tents. Repaired wooden cabins now stand at the site.

After several rounds of reinforcement and repair, the cabins can at least keep out the wind and rain.

Do not assume that summer means high temperatures in this area.

The region is a small plateau near the foot of the mountains and lies relatively far north.

The difference between daytime and nighttime temperatures is enormous.

Under the blazing midday sun, the temperature can approach forty degrees Celsius, but it plummets after nightfall.

When strong winds and heavy rain arrive, nighttime temperatures can fall below ten degrees Celsius.

At a meeting in the camp, Solomon explains, "Qiemi is a local word meaning 'a demon's howl.'"

"In the local dialect, Hill No. 4 is called the Demon's Maw."

"The temperature here is also lower than in the surrounding areas, and even the wind carries a chill."

"This is therefore very likely to be the entrance to the ruins, or at least a place connected to the outside world."

"We will divide the area and search it carefully, section by section. I am confident that we will find something this time!"

Sure enough, the search soon uncovers traces of civilization.

The discovery of numerous man-made objects immediately lifts the team's spirits.

Then disaster strikes without warning.

On the morning of the fourth day, dark clouds suddenly cover what had been a clear sky.

The teams have no time to descend before a torrential downpour crashes over the mountain.

Henwell leads his team beneath an indentation in a cliff face, but the shallow shelter does little to help.

Driving rain soaks their clothes, and the bone-chilling cold leaves them huddled together.

Dacro, one of the turncoats, asks Henwell, "Guildmaster, why don't we use the cave we passed earlier? It looked like a good place to shelter from the rain!"

Philir joins in. "Those large tree hollows would be better than this too. At least we wouldn't be soaked through!"

Henwell replies, "These mountains aren't solid rock. A sudden downpour can trigger a landslide. You won't be praising the cave after it buries you!"

"Tree hollows are even more dangerous. Can't you see all the lightning outside?"

"I knew a man who sheltered beneath a tree during a thunderstorm and was struck dead!"

"You're a Battle Knight, Philir, so perhaps you can survive a lightning strike. Go ahead and gamble. Maybe the lightning will miss you!"

Philir eyes him suspiciously. "Guildmaster, I may not be educated, but don't trick me!"

"I've never heard that people shouldn't shelter beneath a tree during a thunderstorm!"

Miller speaks from the side. "If you know you're ignorant, why don't you read more?"

"They teach this in primary school in Peace Haven!"

Philir curls his lip and mutters, "Peace Haven this, Peace Haven that."

"You claim to hate the place, yet you never stop flaunting the fact that you came from there!"

Miller raises an eyebrow. "What did you say?"

Philir is about to talk back when a bolt of lightning slams into a tree a hundred meters away.

A dazzling ball of light illuminates the gloomy surroundings.

The lightning splits the massive tree in half, and everyone instinctively presses deeper into the indentation in the cliff.

Philir swallows and gives Miller an awkward smile. "I said you were absolutely right!"

More bolts of lightning begin striking the hill in rapid succession.

The nearby forest is torn apart before their eyes. Now thoroughly frightened, Philir turns to Miller again.

"Pal, when you were studying in Peace Haven, did they teach you whether lightning strikes rocks?"

Miller is uneasy as well. "I'm not certain, but it can happen."

"If the rock contains a great deal of metal, the risk is considerable!"

Dacro's eyes widen. "Would you say we contain a great deal of metal right now?"

Everyone looks down at their armor and weapons, then toward the lightning raging nearby. Even Miller looks tense.

Henwell smiles. "Relax. This isn't a serious problem!"

"Guildmaster, do you mean the metal we're carrying won't attract lightning?"

"Of course not! I mean that if lightning does strike us, its power will kill us instantly, without the slightest pain."

"At the very least, it will instantly kill an ordinary person like me!"

"As for you extraordinary professionals, who knows? You might have to suffer for a while before you die!"

Henwell's darkly reassuring words leave everyone silent.

A moment later, they all begin removing their weapons and armor and throwing them far out into the rain.

Finally, they take the long metal cylinder Henwell has been carrying on his back and toss it out with the rest.

The rain passes as quickly as it came.

Half an hour later, the downpour begins to weaken and stops completely within another two or three minutes.

Henwell urges everyone to put their equipment back on, but they are reluctant.

Their clothes are soaked, the sun has come out, and no one wants to wrap himself in a metal shell.

"Guildmaster, let us wait a little. At least let our padded clothing dry. There isn't any danger here..."

He has barely finished when a signal arrow shrieks through the air and a red flare rises from the ravine to their left.

While everyone else is still stunned, Miller shouts, "A team is in danger! Prepare for battle!"